Manchester City defeated EFL Championship side Sheffield United 3-0 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday to book their place in the final of the FA Cup. This puts an end to the trend of Man City being eliminated in the semifinals, which has occurred in each of the past three seasons.
While the game seemed destined to remain goalless until the half-time break with Sheffield notably keeping the favorites at bay, Man City received its breakthrough in the 43rd minute when Riyad Mahrez scored a penalty.
Going into the second half, it was just one-way traffic as the Mancunians continued to bombard the Blades’ net. Finally, City broke through yet again in the 61st minute when Mahrez dribbled through the Sheffield defense to grab his second goal. Just five minutes later, Jack Grealish supplied a low cross that found Mahrez, who completed his hat trick. This is the first FA Cup semifinal hat trick since Alex Dawson for Manchester United against Fulham in 1958.
The blue half of Manchester is set to face current Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night when they will hope to get one step closer to launching a successful title defense.
Man City will play the winner between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup final on June 3.
